//------------------------------// // Fighting My Darkness // Story: A Chance at Self Forgiveness // by Dreagknight-LostWriter //------------------------------// Sunset stared up at herself, fear running through her. She knew she was ruthless, cunning, manipulative, and over all tyrannical in the past, but now Sunset got a good look at what she used to be. The way her past self loomed down over her, looking at her like she was an object she had to have. Sunset hated it, she hated herself, and she hated what she had done. Now Sunset was staring into her own putrid eyes, her mirror image, and she felt the fear that her classmates must have felt. “W-what? No. Wait, can we just talk?” Sunset pleaded, not wanting to face her own self in a fight. “Oh, so you can tell me how what we did was bad. Tell me that ‘friends’ was all we needed,” herself mocked, tossing Sunset to the side. “DON’T GIVE ME THAT CRAP!” In an instant, several lockers were suspended in the air. Herself looked at Sunset with seething hatred, then proceeded to throw all the lockers at Sunset. Sunset didn’t have time to think about what to do, as she had to jump back to avoid being hit by one. Luna and Nightmare Moon appeared in front of Sunset and brought up a shield. “It doesn’t seem like talking will do you any good,” Nightmare Moon said, looking at Sunset. “I know, I know, I should have seen that coming. I never listened to what others had to say, I just acted on my own,” Sunset said with a sigh. “What's wrong? Don't tell me you’ve already forgotten how to fight with magic. A student of Celestia and you can't even defend yourself? Such weakness and no pride,” herself taunted. “Was the loss so bad you forgot how to fight? Or are you just too afraid?” Something inside Sunset snapped, her anger rising with each word her other self taunted her with. Dashing across the hall, Sunset channeled all her magic into her horn as she let out a large arcane beam. Her other self quickly dodged the beam, a sinister smirk on her face. Without a word, her other self blasted Sunset with two arcane beams, one from each hand, catching Sunset off guard. Luna cast a shield over Sunset as Nightmare Moon blasted her other self with a darker beam. “Sunset, do not forget, we are here with you,” Luna said. “I don’t think so,” Sunset’s other self commented. All the lockers on the wall shot out at both Luna and Nightmare Moon. The sheer force of the lockers shattered Luna’s shield, sending both her and Nightmare Moon backwards. Without giving a second, all the lockers piled on top of Luna and Nightmare Moon’s bodies. “Luna! Nightmare Moon!” Sunset cried out. “What’s wrong? Feeling ‘alone’, helpless?” her other self taunted. Sunset ran over to the piles of lockers, ignoring her other self taunts. Just as she reached the lockers, Sunset was blasted back from an exploding fireball. “Come on, you said you wanted to talk, so talk to me.” Sunset’s other self laughed evilly, throwing another fireball. Panicking, Sunset threw up a shield, absorbing the fireball with ease. “How do you call this talking?” Sunset snarled, stomping her hoof down. Her other self just stood there, giving Sunset a dumb look. “Did we ever give anyone, anypony, a chance to talk?” she retorted. “That was the old me, not the new me. If you're really me, then you would know that.” “I AM YOU!” Sunset’s other self scream, hitting Sunset with a kinetic blast. “You, you are the one who lost sight of your own self.” “Me?” Sunset said in disgust. “I finally know who I’m truly am.” Sunset returned the kinetic blast, sending her other self sliding across the floor. Glaring, Sunset’s other self dashed across the room, her fist glowing a bright teal. “Do you really?” Sunset couldn't move fast enough as she was hit with the kinetic punch, sending her flying across the room and crashing into a locker. Sunset was glad this wasn't in the real world, for she was sure this would have knocked her unconscious. Even though this wasn't the real world, Sunset found herself falling to the floor with a grunt. “Where is the ‘you’, the you that was so close to being re-released? So close to taking your revenge after Twilight left?” Sunset’s other self said, slowly walking down the hall. “The weeks of bullying, neglection, solitude, and you were about to lose all that goodness and go back to your old self. The hatred you bore to them all. Every. Single. One.” The last three words leaked with venom. “Yeah, I was close, but I’m glad I didn’t,” Sunset said, standing back up. “Looking at myself now, I really hated who I was, and what I had become because of it,” Sunset stated, readying for another spell. Sunset’s other self just continued to walk down the hall, slowly, and in rage. Stopping just midway, her other self glared, both hands glowing a brighter teal then before. Sunset got ready to shield herself from any attack herself can throw at her. “Well then, let me help you see what you truly are and what you truly can be,” her other self said in a neutral tone. Her other self crossed her arms and bent her head down, inhaling deeply. Then, in a quick motion, followed by a scream, a blue arcane beam rose around her other self. Sunset watched in horror as her other self’s skin went from peach orange to a dark red. Starting from her feet on up, her other self’s skin changed, followed by the clothes she were wearing. Now, floating in front of her was her She-Demon self. Sunset had seen the drawing of her She-Demon self in the school halls, but seeing it with her own eyes sent a different feeling through her. The She-Demon’s eyes were enough to send shivers down Sunset’s spine. Her She-Demon laid one hand on her hips while her other hand held an object loosely off her fingers, Twilight’s crown. “Sunset,” Luna called from behind. “Stand back!” Sunset stepped backwards as a dark blue cloud formed from behind. Sunset saw Nightmare Moon’s eyes peering from the cloud. Nightmare Moon’s wings were raised high and wide, her eyes firmly locked on the She-Demon’s back, and her horn flaring a dark blue aura. “I’ve got you now!” Nightmare moon shouted, blasting her with a black beam with a white sparkle. The beam resembled something like a piece of the night sky, refined and darkened. Gripping the crown in her hand, the She-Demon turned around, and using her free hand, brought up a dark red shield. The moment the beam hit the shield, it was split into three, sailing past and over her. When the beam had dissipated, it left two scorch marks on the floor from where it split up. The She-Demon was unmoved by this blow. Slowly, the She-Demon placed the crown on her head, then lifted her hands to Nightmare Moon. “Where do you think you are?” the She-Demon asked, pulling Nightmare Moon from the sky. “This is between me and myself.” she whispered, tossing Nightmare Moon to the side. “This is not the dream realm, you have no power within our mind.” “How did you-” Luna too was cut off as she was pulled from where she stood. “That means you too, princess,” the She-Demon said, tossing her in the same direction as Nightmare Moon. “Now, to keep you two from interfering any further.” The She-Demon enclosed both the mares in a bubble and blast it with a arcane beam. There was a muffled cry from within the bubble, shaking Sunset from her shock. Rushing, all Sunset could think about was saving Luna and Nightmare Moon. As Sunset came close to her She-Demon self, she jumped into the air, with the full intent of shoulder-bashing her out of her focus. What Sunset didn’t intend was shoulder-bashing her with an arm, her human arm. The connection was more than enough to push her She-Demon aside, but it looked like the damage was already done. Landing on her feet, Sunset turned and ran over to Luna and Nightmare Moon’s side. When Sunset got close, she found both of them chained together and pinned to the floor. What Sunset found more strange was that both of them were turned human. Luna looked like vice principal Luna, but Nightmare Moon looked completely different. Nightmare Moon was wearing dark blue, tight armor, her hair was put into one ponytail braid and laid down across her chest. Her cutie marks were painted beautifully across her chestplate. Both Luna and Nightmare Moon still had their wings, but the chains prevented any use of them. Wow, this is how I imagined she would look if she turned human. Sunset thought before turning her attention back to the She-Demon, who was floating right behind her. “No need to worry Sunset, we are unharmed, but… changed.” Luna said, struggling in her chain. “It also appears we are void of any magic at the moment.” Nightmare Moon said nothing, but just glared at the She-Demon. Sunset stood up, now as a human, and locked eyes with her She-Demon self, face-to-face. “Oh, is that anger I feel from you? Are you going to give me something that resembles myself, a real fight?” the She-Demon said, arms crossed. Sunset inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. “No, I’m not.” Counting down from five, like Fluttershy taught her whenever she gets upset, Sunset looked her She-Demon in the eyes. “Why are you so insisting on corrupting me again?” “Why are you so insisting on others liking you, hmm?” the She-Demon retorted. “Why are you looking for forgiveness? Why do you need friends? Why do you let others treat you like trash? What happened to that tough-girl self, the one who never breaks?” With each question, the She-Demon inched closer and closer to Sunset. “Why change who you are after one defeat? Why look to those who would rather see you rot? Why do you ignore me, who helped you?” Sunset stood there frozen as each question sank in. Those questions were some of the same questions Sunset had asked herself not long ago when she was alone. As the She-Demon came closer, she lifted Sunset in the air and gently flew up. “Get a good look at the ones you want to be accepted by,” the She-Demon said. The halls slowly began to fill with shadow figures. As more figures began to fill the halls, so did the hatred coming from them. “She-Demon freak.” “Go back to where you came from.” “Nobody wants you here.” “How about you off yourself for everyone's sake.” “She gets defeated one time and now she's crying like a baby, just look at her.” “She got what she deserved, don't pity her.” “Shh, do you want her to go all She-Demon crazy on you?” “Just ignore her, maybe she’ll leave soon.” “Avoid looking into her eyes, mind control freak.” “Ha, change. I bet she’s just looking for a way to regain control.” “Hey, let's give Sunset a taste of her own medicine.” “It's only a matter of time before she goes back to her old self.” Sunset cringed as she put both of her hands to her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't want to hear it again, she didn’t want to go through that pain once more. The threats and hatred kept increasing as Sunset tried her best to make herself smaller. The screams, the shouts, the rejections, Sunset never felt more unwelcome than she did then. “ENOUGH!” Luna boomed in her royal canterlot voice. Immediately, all the shadows in the room disappeared. “Sunset, we know how you must feel, but remember, there are those who will stand by your side.” “Oh really?” the She-Demon said, dropping Sunset and flying over to Luna. “Tell us, how long did it take you to gain the trust of your subjects? Do they still fear you? Talk about you behind your back? What about friends, do you even have-” Sunset cut her She-Demon off by blasting her several times from behind. “Forget about forgiveness, I’m going to destroy you once in for all,” Sunset said, hands clutched for another fight. The She-Demon turned around and smiled. “Go ahead. The moment you finish me, your dream will truly come true. You will be the phoenix that rises from the ashes anew, from the ashes of your old self.” Quick as lighting, the She-Demon dashed right in Sunset face. “But you don’t have the resolve to do so, not anymore at least. Not since you made friends with the girls who stopped us.” Sunset stared wide-eyed. Now her She-Demon was using her own emotions against her. “My friends make me stronger then I was before, they will always be by my side.” “That’s a lie and you know it,” the She-Demon said quickly. “Don’t lie to yourself, those girls are not your friends.” “Yes they are!” Sunset screamed, pushing her She-Demon away with a weak kinetic push. “No they are not! They will never have your back. Just like the anon-a-miss incident. Where were your friends when you needed them the most? Where was that magic of friendship when you were drowning in sorrow? I’ll tell you where: nowhere.” “SHUT UP!” Sunset screamed. “Why are you telling me all of this?” “Because you said you wanted to get rid of me. I am that little voice in the back of your head that kept you going in the darkest of times. You come here for forgiveness, forgiveness of what?” Sunset rushed over to try and punch her She-Demon in the face to silence her, but the She-Demon just caught her arm midway. The She-Demon stared Sunset in the eyes. “We always resisted when the truth was right in front of our eyes,” the She-Demon mused. “Let me take over for now.” The She-Demon leaned in closer to Sunset’s face. “You’re confused about yourself, but I can help you see the answer,” the She-Demon whispered. “Is forgiveness truly what you want? Remember how good it felt when you would bathe in the magic of the elements? Even then, you were close of turning back, but your so-called friends were by your side and again you were confused about yourself.” With a free hand, the She-Demon pulled at the guitar on Sunset’s neck. “Be honest with yourself, you want that power back, that feeling of control.” Deep down in the pit of Sunset’s stomach, she knew the She-Demon was right about everything. She did want that power back, that control, that synergized feeling of mass amount of magic flowing through her. Yet, Sunset also knew she didn't want to be a villain like she was before. The temptation of going back to her old ways was always there, but Sunset kept pushing that out, trying to be different in every way possible. “Admit it, you hate feeling weak and helpless,” the She-Demon said, every word tugging at Sunset’s conscience. Slowly the She-Demon started to fade as she kept pushing herself forward on Sunset. Sunset, as much as she didn't wanted to, felt the merging of her other personality within her. “Sunset, no!” Nightmare Moon screamed. “Do not let yourself fall prey to her tainted words.” “Sunset, remember all the hard work you went through. Your friends who helped you along the way,” Luna said, struggling more in her bindings. “Ha, friends. They only help me because Twilight asked them to,” Sunset said in surprise. “Did, did I just say that?” “Yes,” the She-Demon said, half faded away. “Let the truth come out. The truth you knew deep down.” Sunset heart was racing as her darkest thoughts were brought to the surface. The feeling she had towards her friends and school. Her defeat and weakness, she was angry and sad, but most of all… confused. Sunset always blamed herself and felt grateful to her friends, that much was true. Then there was a part of her that resented her friends, the feeling that she didn’t belong with them, that she was only there because of Twilight insistence. What if Twilight didn’t ask them to be friends with her, would they have tried on their own? After the anon-a-miss outbreak, Sunset knew her answer. Even then she had forgiven them, but why? They never actually apologized for accusing her, they never even gave her the chance to prove she was innocent until the last minute. “Now you get it. Why cast me aside? I helped you stay strong, even when no one else was by your side.” “But I don’t want to be who I was. Even after all of that, they are still my friends.” As Sunset said this, a image of each of her friends appeared behind the She-Demon. Each of her friends bore an ashamed expression on their face. “They made a mistake and had their reasons. I...I-” Sunset started to choke up. As more of the She-Demon merged with Sunset, the more Sunset was starting to understand what was truly going on. “That is enough,” Nightmare Moon said, destroying the merge between them with a controlled, shielded explosion. “Dammit. I forgot about you two,” the She-Demon hissed, flying backwards. The chain that had bonded Nightmare Moon and Luna was gone. The school hallways faded away, replaced by the hallways of the Canterlot Castle. The fading of her She-Demon had caused the chains to unbind, setting Luna and Nightmare Moon free. Sunset slid down the wall and landed on her knees. “Doesn't matter, I got my point across,” The She-Demon said, losing her she-demon form. Dropping down on one knee, the only thing left of the transformation was her demon wings. “What?” Luna looked to Sunset with confusion. “How do you manage to walk in this body?” Nightmare asked before taking to the skies. “Now how about I teach you a lesson,” Nightmare Moon said, encasing the former She-Demon in a bubble, who didn't even complain or move. Luna took to the skies, as she too found it hard to walk on two legs, and flew over to Sunset. “Sunset, is it true? Have you learned something about yourself and a way to forgive yourself?” “Yes,” Sunset answered, wiping the tears away from her eyes. “And I also realize I can never forgive myself.”